Public Perception of Dental Implants: A Qualitative Study

Objectives: Dental implant has become a popular option for treating partially dentate or edentulous patients. Information about dental implants is widely available in the public domain and is disseminated through industries and dental practitioners of various levels and disciplines. This qualitative study aimed to understand public’s information acquisition about dental implant, their perceptions of dental implant and the impacts on their care seeking and decision making.
Methods: A purposive sample of 28 adults were recruited to join 6 focus groups. To be eligible, one must be 35-64-year-old, had never been engaged in dentally-related jobs, had at least one missing tooth, had heard about dental implant but never received dental implant or entered any dental consultation regarding implants. All focus groups were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic content analysis following grounded theory approach.

Results: Participants acquired information on dental implant through various means, such as patient information boards, printed advertisements, social media, and personal connections. They expected that dental implant restores patients’ appearance, functions, and quality of life to absolute normality. They regarded dental implant as a panacea for all missing teeth cases and tended to overestimate its functions and longevity and underestimate the expertise needed for carrying out the clinical procedures. Their intention for seeking dental implant treatment was deterred by its high price, invasive procedures, risks and complications.

Conclusions: Members of the public were exposed to information of varied quality and held some unrealistic expectations towards dental implants. Constructive patient-dentist communication may help build the trust and create positive clinical experience.